Widow, son recount MP Ong'ondo Were's final moments in court

The late Kasipul MP Ong'ondo Were was trailed for the whole day before he was killed. [File, Standard]

It began with what appeared to be an ordinary money transfer between a husband and wife.

At exactly 7.30 pm on April 30, 2025, Margaret Korir received an M-Pesa notification from her husband, Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were, for Sh5,200. Ten minutes later, she dialled his number, expecting to speak to him.

Instead, the call was answered by his bodyguard, Allan Ogola.

"He was crying," Korir told the High Court in Kibera yesterday as she narrated the final moments before learning that her husband had been assassinated in Nairobi.

Her testimony before Justice Diana Kavedza, who is trying five suspects, offered the clearest account yet of the family's final interactions with the legislator before he was fatally shot near the City Mortuary roundabout along Ngong Road on the evening of April 30, 2025.

Korir, who testified as the ninth prosecution witness (PW9), calmly walked the court through the sequence of events that forever changed her family's life.

She said she had spent part of the day in Rangwe at a funeral before travelling to Kisii.

"I spent part of the day with him and left for my home in Kisii. At exactly 7.30 pm, I received an M-Pesa message from my husband for Sh5,200," she testified.

When she called him about ten minutes later, she immediately sensed something was terribly wrong.

"Unfortunately, the person who picked up my husband's phone was his bodyguard, Allan Ogola, and he was crying," he testified.

Before she could process what had happened, another call came through.

"I immediately received a call from my son, Proctor Ojaa, who told me that my husband had been shot and that he was proceeding to Karen Hospital."

Korir abandoned everything and rushed home to Kisii, where she picked up another son, Boyd Were, the current MP of Kasipul, before beginning the long overnight journey to Nairobi.

She told the court that somewhere near Bomet, the family's hope gave way to grief.

"Around Bomet, while travelling to Nairobi, I learnt that my husband was no more."

The wife told the court that they arrived in Nairobi shortly after 2 am.

Before heading home, they stopped at the Nairobi Area police station, where the MP's vehicle had been parked after the shooting.

"As we proceeded to the Nairobi area, we found the car parked. The co-driver's window had been smashed and there was blood on the co-driver's seat. Police officers from the Homicide Unit were still examining the vehicle," Korir testified.

Hours later, they finally reached the family home in Karen.

Five days later, on May 5, Korir performed one of the most difficult tasks imaginable.

"I went to Lee Funeral Home, where I identified the body of my husband, Charles Ong'ondo Were, to the government pathologist Johnsen Odour."

Her testimony also linked two of the accused persons to the family's everyday life long before the murder.

Asked whether she recognised any of those facing trial, Korir identified Allan Ogola, her husband's bodyguard, and Ebel Ochieng alias Dave Calo.

"The one called Dave Calo is my neighbour. His home is about 600 metres from mine. I know him very well," she said.

She added that Ogola was also a neighbour living about one kilometre away and had served as the MP's bodyguard for about one year.

Significantly, defence lawyer John Swaka chose not to cross-examine the widow.

The prosecution then called the slain MP's son, Boyd Were, whose testimony painted a troubling picture of security concerns in the days leading up to the killing.

Boyd told the court that on the night of April 29, 2025, he and his father discussed threats that had been made against the legislator.

"I suggested that he use a different vehicle because previously he had received threats," Boyd testified.

The two agreed that the MP would travel in a white Toyota Crown instead of his usual black Toyota V8.

When Boyd travelled to Rangwe for a funeral the following morning, he learnt that the alternative vehicle had developed mechanical problems.

"The Crown could not start, and ordered the bodyguard to check the problem and ensure it is solved. Minutes later, Ogolla called, stating that the car was okay," he said.

Later that day, while still away from Nairobi, he received the devastating news from his brother Ojaa that his father had been murdered along the city mortuary roundabout.

During his evidence in court, Boyd also identified two of the accused charged with his father's killing, including the bodyguard Ogola and Dave Calo, in court, saying he knew both men before the murder.

During cross-examination, he acknowledged that although his father had spoken about threats, he was unaware of any formal report having been made to the police.

He further testified that in 2024, his father had mentioned that a man identified as Jared Konde alias Alpha had allegedly been paid to eliminate him, though the same was not reported to the police.

The court also heard evidence from businessman Dennis Sewe Munyasia, who recounted the events surrounding the arrest of the second accused, Edwin Oduor Odhiambo alias Machwani, whom the prosecution alleges was the hitman in the murder of MP Charles Ong'ondo Were.

Munyasia told Justice Kavedza that on May 6, 2025, he and Odhiambo were in Umoja when police officers confronted them and ordered Odhiambo to surrender.

The officers searched and ordered them to surrender the firearms in their possession, leaving him shocked.

"We were standing together when police officers bounced on us and ordered Edwin to surrender the firearms. I was shocked," Munyasia testified.

"I was shocked when we were arrested because I did not have any firearm. Edwin panicked and told the police that they were pickpockets and that the firearms were in Mbotela," he testified.

He said the two were initially taken towards Mama Lucy Hospital before being separated into different police vehicles.

 According to his testimony, Odhiambo then led detectives to Mbotela, where he allegedly informed them that firearms were hidden at his grandmother's house.

The search later extended to Mihango, where another house linked to Odhiambo was searched.

"It took about one hour. I heard police officers saying they had recovered two firearms, although I did not see them because I remained inside a tinted police vehicle," he told the court.

Munyasia said they were later escorted to Pangani Police Station, where he was detained.

During cross-examination, he maintained that he had known Odhiambo for about a year, selling him clothes and that they had never had any disagreement.

Wednesday's proceedings came after the court earlier heard evidence from a protected witness in a closed session.

The murder trial has attracted intense public attention since prosecutors charged several suspects over the killing of the Kasipul legislator, who was shot dead on April 30, 2025, in one of the country's highest-profile political assassinations in recent years.

The prosecution further alleges that the MP's bodyguard, Allan Omondi Ogola, played a central role in the alleged murder plot by sharing information on the legislator's movements and remaining in constant communication with his co-accused before the shooting.

In the case, five suspects are facing trial over the murder of late Kasipul MP, his bodyguard Allan Omondi Ogola, William Imoli Imo Shigali, Edwin Oduor Odhiambo alias Machwani, Ebel Ochieng alias Dave Calo, and Silas Otieno.

The prosecution alleges that the five jointly planned and executed the assassination of the legislator on April 30, 2025, after allegedly coordinating his movements and trailing his vehicle before the fatal shooting in Nairobi.

According to the prosecution, Ochieng was the principal mastermind behind the alleged murder plot, an allegation he denies alongside his co-accused.

Justice Kavedza adjourned the hearing to October 21 and 22, and November 24 and 25, when the prosecution is expected to call more witnesses as it continues building its case.